Blue
by gandalfthefrey
Summary: Emiko Kuroko has left her family's home to attend Touou Academy, a school well known for its shining art department. Having only met two of the students prior to attending, the trio quickly became closer friends. But what if Aomine Daiki wants to become closer? Aomine Daiki x OC
1. Chapter 1

"Dai-chan, Satsuki's looking for you." The navy-blue haired teen turned his head to the left from his laying down position on the school's roof. A familiar blue-haired girl was climbing up a small ladder to join him. She had a permanent stoic look in her eyes, just like her brother.

"Tell her I'm not going to practice." The male mumbled, shielding his face from the sun. The blue-eyed girl huffed.

"What makes you think I'm going back? I came up here to have a nap and that's what I intend to do. By the way, you're in my spot." She said, standing over him with a frown. He gave her an incredulous look.

"Why do you always wear black underwear?" He mumbled, "Satsuki's got more interesting stuff than you."

The girl rolled her eyes and kicked him in the ribs a little harder than she should have, causing a small grunt to escape his lips. She lied down next to him, adjusting her black headband as she looked up at the blue sky.

"Why did you come up here anyway? You're gonna get a sunburn, idiot." The tanned boy flicked the pale girl's nose, causing her to flinch.

"Shut up, not all of us can tan as easily as you." She mumbled and crossed her arms. A sigh escaped her mouth shortly after. "I heard you'll be facing Tetsu-chan's team soon."

"Yeah, are you going to watch?" Aomine asked, turning his head to the girl.

"Maybe. He told me he found a new light to be a shadow for. Apparently he's pretty good." She smirked at him.

"There's no way he's as good as me," Aomine sighed and placed his head back to its original position. "The only one who can beat me is me." The blue-haired girl sat up, opening her mouth to say something before she was interrupted.

"Aomine-kun? Emi-chan? Where are you?" Momoi's voice called out from the lower part of the roof.

Before she could respond, Aomine's arm wrapped around Emiko's neck and pulled her down so she was squished into his chest. Her muffled protests were stopped as he whispered for her to shut up.

"Where are you guys?" The pink-haired girl called as she climbed the ladder to the very top of the school. Emiko still attempted to push her face off of Aomine's chest, but his strength was far superior.

The scene that Momoi found herself witnessing caused her to pause for a moment to try to figure out what was going on. Emiko's body was completely on top of Aomine's, struggling to break free from his grip as he stared at Momoi with a bored look.

"A-are you guys…cuddling?" The pink-haired girl chuckled while a small blush crept up onto her cheeks. She'd always wanted the two of them to get together, but they always denied any feelings for each other. Emiko's face heated up as she statically hit Aomine's arms to let her off of him.

"More like hiding," Aomine yawned as he released the poor flustered girl.

"Please don't do that again," She calmly pouted as she sat up, now almost straddling the tanned giant.

"Er…Emiko-chan, that position isn't really helping my suspicions…" Momoi giggled. Emiko's face turned red once more before she climbed off of Aomine. Momoi turned back to Aomine with a frown. "You should really come to practice, you know. You're going to face Tetsu-kun soon!"

"I don't need to practice," Aomine sighed, placing an arm over his head, "no one can beat me."

"Emi-chan, tell Aomine-kun to get his butt to practice!" Emiko gave the girl a blank look, and then turned to Aomine with her brows furrowed. What was his favourite food again? Maybe she could bribe him with it.

"If you go to practice, I'll buy you a teriyaki burger." She said, gazing at him with another blank look. Aomine sighed, then smirked.

"Fine. I knew there was a reason I hung out with you." He rustled her hair before standing up with a yawn, following Momoi to the gym.

"Thank you, Emi-chan!" Momoi called out before going inside. Emiko smiled before laying back down and looking at the sky.

"Tetsu-chan had better win," She mumbled to no one in particular, "or else Dai-chan will continue to slack off."

* * *

Hey! Hope you like the pilot! Sorry if it's short. The next one will be longer :3


	2. Chapter 2

Emiko climbed off the school's roof as the sun began to go down. She made her way to the gym where the basketball team was just finishing their practice. The pale girl stood by the entrance door as she watched the navy-haired teen dodge past all his teammates and slam dunk a point.

"Sheesh, Aomine-kun. Can't you go easy on us?" The captain of the team said with a grin. He was never fazed by Aomine's natural intimidation. Emiko always found him to be on the strange side. Aomine opened his mouth to say something, but shut it when he spotted Emiko by the doors.

"What're you still doing here?" He mumbled as he walked up to the blue-haired girl. She gave him an innocent, wide-eyed look.

"I have to buy you a teriyaki burger, remember?" She said, staring at him.

"Wow, sometimes you remind me too much of your brother." Aomine sighed. "He was always overly-honest too."

"What do you mean?" Emiko followed him to the benches where the team kept their water bottles. Aomine picked up his and took several gulps before looking back at her.

"I completely forgot. You could've gone home without buying me anything. It's too late to get a burger now, anyway."

"Then who would I have walked home with?" She asked. Aomine, Momoi, and Emiko always walked home together. It was an unsaid rule of the trio. Aomine smirked at the shorter girl, ruffling her hair for the second time that day. "Please stop that," She mumbled, attempting to flatten it and fasten her headband back to normal.

"Go on ahead," Aomine said before turning around and heading to the change rooms, "I'll catch up."

Emiko frowned. "What about Satsuki-chan?" She looked around for the pink-haired girl, but she was nowhere to be found.

"She went out with a couple friends tonight. It's just you and me." He said before closing the door to the change room. Emiko sighed. She wished Momoi would've told her ahead of time.

Emiko was five minutes into the walk home when a small group of slightly older and intoxicated men crossed paths with her. She hung her head, attempting to not catch anyone's attention. It was times like these when she sincerely wished she had her brother's natural lack of presence. However, being well-endowed in the bust region, she was often noticed by male strangers. Tonight was no exception.

"Hey, cutie! What's your name?" One of the men called, whistling at her. She kept her mouth closed and continued walking.

"Aww, what's the matter, sweetie pie? Cat got your tongue?" Another said. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned around to smack it off.

"Please don't touch me," She stated unemotionally, quickening her pace.

"Hey! No need to be a bitch! We just wanna see that nice rack!" A third one shouted. She looked up to see a plain-looking man blocking her way. The other two were behind her. She now wished that she had waited for Aomine to finish changing.

As if some magical fairy was watching over her that night, the blue-haired boy shouted from a distance, causing the two men behind her to look away.

"Do you kiss your mothers with those mouths?" He said, pushing through the first two of them. "Piss off, freaks." Aomine walked up to Emiko, giving her the nod to go ahead. "These guys weren't bothering you, were they?"

The three men looked up at Aomine as if he was some kind of monster. Sure, he was tall for the average Japanese person, but Emiko didn't find him all that intimidating. Then she saw the look in his eyes as he walked up to the man blocking Emiko's way. It was rage and animosity that were embedded into his expression. Emiko wouldn't be surprised if the man he was confronting had peed himself.

"Get lost, before I break your face." The three men scurried off to who knows where. Emiko looked down, still trembling from the event. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder. It pulled her into his body as they walked. "Are you okay?" He mumbled.

"Y-yeah." She whispered, frowning. She gripped the back of Aomine's jacket. "Just scared."

"There's no need to be anymore, kid." He muttered, ruffling her hair. She didn't bother fixing it this time. She just wanted to go home.

But…She lived alone.

"Dai-chan…" She almost whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think…you could stay the night at my place? I don't want to be alone." Aomine stopped and looked down at the short girl. He frowned.

"They really gave you a scare, didn't they?" Emiko nodded, tightening her grip on his coat. "Yeah, okay. Just lend me a blanket or something."

"Okay."

They reached the small apartment that Emiko's parents had rented out for her during her stay at Touou Academy. She was sent there for their strong fine arts department, a subject which Emiko was planning to have a related job with in the future.

The apartment was relatively small. It had a tiny kitchen space, a couch, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Emiko opened a small linen closet and took out a blanket and a pillow. She placed the items on the couch before walking over to Aomine.

"Dai-chan, thank you." She said as she gave him a soft hug. He was a little shocked at the gesture. Neither of them were huggy people, yet he felt a little less angry when she did it. He patted her back twice before walking to the couch. Emiko brushed her teeth and changed before muttering a 'good night' and retreating to her bedroom.

* * *

Thought I'd end it on a fluffier note, haha. Review and subscribe! Thanks for reading! :D


	3. Chapter 3

"C'mon, Emi! You can do better than that!" Sweat sparkled off of the pale girl's forehead as she attempted to block the much taller male from shooting. She gave a soft smile before swiping at the ball, only for him to dodge her and score.

"Go, Emi-chan! You can do it! Beat that brute!" Momoi cheered from the sidelines.

"One day I'll surpass you, Dai-chan. You can count on that." She smiled as she dribbled the ball toward him.

"It's not gonna happen any time soon," Aomine smirked as he smacked the ball away from her hand. Much to his surprise, she caught the ball with her other hand and continued to dribble it across the court.

"Yeah! Go, Emi-chan!" Emiko was a skilled player in street ball. She was almost opposite to her brother when it came to playing – she could do everything exceptionally well except for passing. She never enjoyed playing on school teams, however. She found them to be restricting to her style. It was only times like these when she and her friends found an empty court to play on that she participated in the game.

Emiko jumped up to score the basket, but was shocked when she felt Aomine's body press up against her back in the air.

Why did he have to be so fast?

Emiko smirked and nudged her elbow into his chest before slamming the ball into the hoop.

"That's a foul, you cheater!" Aomine yelled when the two landed. Emiko smirked.

"What? I didn't do anything wrong…"

"Yeah, you big baby! I saw no foul!" Momoi yelled from the sidelines. Aomine's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why would you call me that if you saw nothing?!" He screamed at her.

"Guys, keep it down. It's getting late." Emiko mumbled, walking off of the court with the basketball.

It was nearing dinner time on a Saturday, and the trio had gotten bored of hanging out at each other's houses.

"You still owe me a burger!" Aomine pointed angrily at Emiko.

"Fine," She rolled her eyes. "Let's go to the burger joint."

The air was cool as the three high schoolers walked along the sidewalk to the restaurant. Emiko shivered slightly at the night air. A warm sweater was placed over her shoulders almost immediately after. She looked up at Aomine, who was wearing an annoyed expression.

"Why do you never bring a coat?" He mumbled, stuffing his hands back into his pockets. Emiko smiled.

"Because I know you'll lend me yours." Aomine glared at Emiko while Momoi let out a chuckle.

"You two are too cute."

"Haa?" Aomine furrowed his brows while Emiko looked blankly at the pink-haired girl. "How is Emi being a mooch cute?"

"It's just nice to see how much you care for her!" Momoi giggled some more. Emiko's face went red. She immediately felt the sweater leave her body.

"Give me that." Aomine grumbled, putting it back on.

"Dai-chan, you're so mean…" Emiko pouted, crossing her arms to preserve what little body heat she had.

"Whatever. We're almost there anyway."

A few minutes later, the trio arrived at the burger restaurant. They sat down in their booth, the two girls sitting across from Aomine. Before anyone came to take their orders, Momoi's phone began to vibrate. She dug it out of her pocket in a bored manner, but as soon as she read the text's contents, she stood up.

"Crap!" She said, gathering her bag.

"What's wrong, Satsuki?" Emiko asked blankly.

"My family's having visitors over tonight! I completely forgot!" Momoi made her way toward the exit.

"Wait! Do you want us to walk you home or something?" Emiko shouted.

"No, it's fine! I'm gonna get a taxi!" Before they knew it, the pink-haired girl had disappeared into the streets of Tokyo.

"Sheesh," Aomine sighed, "what a drag." Emiko looked up at him with furrowed brows.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Was she not good enough for him to hang out with?

"There still isn't a waiter for us yet. The service here sucks." He noticed Emiko's face grow softer with each word he spoke. "What?" He smirked. "Did you think I was talking about Satsuki leaving?"

Emiko opened her mouth to retaliate, but was interrupted by a dark-haired waiter.

"Hello! Welcome to Teriyaki Delight! What can I get you two?"

"Two teriyaki burgers and a coke, please." Aomine grumbled boredly.

"I'll have a teriyaki salad and a water, please." Emiko smiled and handed their menus to the waiter.

Shortly after, Emiko's phone gave a short buzz. She dug it out of her pockets, examining the message.

"Don't tell me you have to leave too." Aomine muttered.

"No, it's just Tetsu-chan asking me to come to the game next week." Emiko smiled.

"Tell him we're gonna kick his team's ass." He smirked.

"As if! I'm rooting for them, anyway!" Emiko grumbled, replying to the message.

"You're not cheering for your own school? Some school spirit you have."

"Family comes before school!" Emiko argued.

"Is that so? Then why are you going to a different school than your brother, and not living with your family?" The blue-haired girl froze. Aomine's face tensed up immediately after the words left his lips.

"Dai-chan…that's not fair. You know how conflicted I was about my decision."

Aomine sighed. "Yeah, sorry."

They remained silent until dinner was served. Aomine chowed down on his burgers while Emiko ate her salad in silence.

Was she really that selfish that she threw away her family life for a wealthier school?

"Is that Aominecchi and Emikocchi?" The pair looked up at the familiar blond boy who was making his way to their table. "Are you guys finally going out? It's about time!"

Aomine's mouth was too full to reply, so Emiko stepped in.

"Er, no…Satsuki-chan was with us before, but she had to leave." She smiled politely at Kise.

"Emikocchi! You're just as cute as ever!" He mused as he embraced the short girl in a bear hug.

"What are you doing here, Kise?" Aomine finally spoke, looking more irritated than usual.

"Oh, I came here with my sister, Aneko." The two sitting at the booth stared behind him at an unusually tall blonde. Her legs were long, her face was clear and beautiful, and her chest was huge. It made Satsuki look like an A-cup. "Aneko, these are my friends, Emiko Kuroko and Daiki Aomine."

"It's nice to meet you two. Especially you, Daiki-kun." The busty girl leaned over to shake Aomine's hand, causing her cleavage to spill out a little. Emiko saw Aomine's cheeks grow darker. She sighed.

Of course Aomine would go for the girl with the ridiculous body. He was always raving on about the 'hot models' in the racy magazines.

"Emikocchi, are you coming to InterHigh?" Kise asked, still hugging the small girl.

"Of course, Ryou-chan. I wanna see my brother's team crush Touou!" She smiled.

"Oh, I bet Daiki-kun's team would win if only he was on the court!" Aneko stated, leaning over even more.

"Aneko! Stop flirting with my old teammate! He's way too young for you!" Kise scolded his sister.

"But Ryouta! I like younger men!" She said.

"Can't you see they're on a date?"

"They are?" The blonde girl looked over to the two blue-haired teens. Emiko put her hands up defensively.

"Er, no! We're not on a d-"

"Oh, Daiki-kun. You could do so much better than that." Emiko stared at the tall girl with wide eyes. Why did she have to be so mean? Emiko's forehead creased as she looked down at her hands.

"Don't be so rude to my friend!" Kise shouted at his sister as they made their way to a different booth.

"You should finish eating. It's getting dark." Aomine said after what seemed like an eternity of silence.

"I'm not hungry." Emiko muttered. Aomine sighed.

"Emi." Why wasn't she enough for him? Was she really that ugly? Wait, why did she care so much whether or not she was up to Aomine's standards? "Emi."

"What?" She asked with a frown.

"Don't worry about what a dumb blonde says about you. You're fine as you are." A small blush crept onto Emiko's cheeks at his words. She looked up to see him smirking.

"What is it now?"

"You're blushing." She turned her head to the side with a frown.

"So?"

"Does that mean you like me or something?" His smirk widened.

"What? No! I'm just not used to compliments, that's all!" Emiko huffed. Sometimes this boy was so difficult to deal with.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever, kid." He grinned as he stood up and ruffled her hair. Emiko followed the giant shortly after fixing her hair. They headed to the cash register while she dug through her bag for her wallet. Unfortunately, it was nowhere to be found.

"Uh-oh…" Emiko muttered to herself.

"What is it?"

"I…uh…" She pulled her empty hand out of the bag with a nervous smile.

"You forgot your wallet, didn't you?" Aomine frowned. Emiko nodded. "Fine," Aomine dug some money out of his wallet and handed it to the cashier.

The two walked out of the store with Emiko looking down.

"Why're you acting so weird?" Aomine asked, gazing down at the short girl.

"Huh? Oh, I just feel bad about you paying. Now I owe you money…" She muttered, folding her arms over her chest to maintain some heat during the cool night.

"Don't worry about it," He threw his sweater back over her shoulders before ruffling her hair. She clutched onto the sweater and inhaled its scent. Musky and spicy. Just like his attitude.

The two walked home together, striking up small conversation here and there. Emiko waved goodbye to Aomine as she opened the door to her apartment building. She smiled as it closed, leaning her back against it.

* * *

How'd ya like it? I haven't gotten any reviews yet, so I'm gonna make a deal... I'll release a new chappy as soon as someone gives me a comment :3

Thanks for reading! Follow/rate! :)


	4. Chapter 4

It was the day of the Seirin vs. Touou game and Emiko was wandering around the gym where it was being held, searching for her brother. She received a text from him earlier, telling him the whereabouts of his team's changeroom. However, Emiko lacked in the ability to navigate at all, and found herself lost in no matter of time.

_"What section are you in?" _Tetsuya asked from the other line.

"I dunno…" Emiko said. She looked around for any signs or maps, but found none. "There's a blue bench here, if that helps…"

_"Blue bench…oh. You're in section B. I'll be there in a bit."_

"Ah, thank you, Tetsu-chan!" Emiko smiled as she shut her phone and leaned against a wall. She watched numerous schools walk by, some of which containing her brother's old teammates. She was never really close to any of the group except for Kise and Aomine. Everyone else seemed boring to her.

"Emiko," The pale girl looked up to gaze face-to-face with her brother.

"Tetsu-chan." She smiled brightly before pulling the boy into a hug.

"I didn't know you had a sister." Emiko looked behind her brother to spot a tall redhead. She gazed at him blankly, wondering if he was on Tetsuya's team. "Jeez, she even has the same facial expressions as you!" The giant said, smiling. The two siblings pulled away from the embrace.

"Kagami-kun, this is my twin sister, Emiko."

"It's nice to meet you, Kagami-kun." She smiled while sticking a hand out. "Are you the ace that Tetsu-chan's always talking about?"

"Yeah. It's nice to meet you too," The red-head said, shaking her small hand. There was a pink tint to his cheeks as she smiled at him.

The trio walked back to Seirin's changeroom, making sure everyone was dressed before letting Emiko in. When the door opened, all of the team froze at the sight of the new girl.

"Jeez, Kuroko! How many girlfriends do you have?" One of them said.

"Hey, they kind of look alike."

"She's a lot cuter than he is." Emiko blushed at the comment.

"This is Emiko, my twin sister." Tetsuya stated, walking into the room calmly.

"It's nice to meet you all." She bowed politely.

"Twin sister? She sure is cute."

"Yeah, look! Kagami's already got a crush on her! His face is totally red!"

Emiko's face heated up as the comments kept going. Much to her luck, her phone began to buzz. She pulled it out quickly, flipping it open to reveal a text from Aomine.

_What's the address for the court we're playing at again?_

Emiko frowned. How typical of Aomine to not be at the game on time. She sent him a _'get your butt over here!' _followed by the sport complex's address. When she looked up, she was greeted by the furry face of a small dog.

"Puppy?" She mumbled, stretching her hand forward, not paying attention to the males laughing at her inability to pay attention.

"We call him Number Two." Tetsuya said from behind the dog, his hands under its armpits.

"He looks just like you!" Emiko smiled, petting the dog. Tetsuya smiled back.

"Come on. We can catch up a little bit before the game." He said, placing the dog down and allowing it to follow him to the door. Emiko waved quickly at Tetsuya's teammates, earning a small blush from Kagami, and swiftly followed her brother out.

"How are things at Touou?" Her brother asked calmly as they strolled down the hallway. "Are you happy with your decision?"

"The art department is amazing," Emiko smiled, "Dai-chan's a little difficult sometimes, though."

"I had no idea how close you two have gotten. That was him texting you before, was it not?" Emiko glared playfully at her brother, admiring his detective skills.

"He initially needed me to text him our homework since he barely comes to class, but I guess it's a little different now."

"Do you like him?" He asked nonchalantly, staring at Number Two as he padded along the hallway.

"What? Uh, no. We're just friends. Why do you ask?" Emiko fiddled with her fingers nervously as her face began to heat up.

"Kise-kun told me he saw you two on a date a while ago. I was just wondering." Emiko rolled her eyes.

"Satsuki was originally with us but she had to leave, so I wouldn't exactly call it a date. Speaking of her, have you two gone on any more dates yet?" She smirked as she backfired the conversation on her brother. His face dropped slightly.

"No, we're just friends right now."

"That's not what she says."

"She doesn't exactly like to take 'no' for an answer." He scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "We should probably head back now." The two turned around, reversing their route. Emiko let out a slight sigh.

"Just so you know I'm going to be rooting for you guys. You'd better win, Tetsu-chan. Dai-chan's been getting bored." Tetsuya gave her a smile.

"We will. Kagami-kun's a really talented player."

"So are you!" Emiko grinned at her brother, lightly punching him in the shoulder.

They reached the door to Seirin's change room once more, this time with Emiko stopping outside.

"Good luck, Tetsu-chan." She held out a fist. He smiled and bumped his own fist against it.

"See you later."

* * *

It was halfway through the second quarter and Emiko had gotten a little thirsty. She decided to leave the bleachers to go get a refreshment. As she now pressed the buttons on the drink machine, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"You aren't watching? Is it that boring?"

Emiko jumped slightly at the tall male's voice, turning around after grabbing her drink with a stiff face. He had a smirk on, not like his usual bored frown. His arms were crossed as he wore Touou's basketball team jogging suit.

"I got thirsty." Aomine rolled his eyes at her response. He quickly swiped the can of sports drink out of her hand and opened it. "What're you doing?" She frowned. He proceeded to chug the beverage, causing her frown to deepen.

"You owe me money, remember?" He said after emptying the can.

"I thought you said not to worry about it!" Her eyebrows furrowed even more as she crossed her arms.

"I changed my mind."

"Dai-chan, why're you being so mean?" He didn't respond for a while, turning his back from her to walk into the stadium.

"You'd better watch all of the next half." He said over his shoulder as he left the area. Emiko frowned once more before turning back to the machine and getting another drink.

The scores were pretty even when she got back, but the second half was about to start, and that meant Aomine would be subbing in. She could sense his energy all the way from where she was sitting. She even saw the self-doubt in Kagami's eyes as he watched the tall bluenette walk over to his team's bench.

Emiko wanted Seirin to win. She wanted it so bad. It wasn't for her own reasons either. She wanted her brother's team to win so Aomine would stop skipping practices. So Tetsuya could see that his way of playing basketball _was_ effective. So she could see how great Kagami really was.

But in the end, they lost.

Aomine was too much for them. His speed, agility, and overall power dominated every single player on Seirin's team, even Kagami. When the game ended, she saw the disappointment in Aomine's eyes as he realized no one would measure up to him.

"Dai-chan!" She yelled as she ran up to him after the game ended. His teammates weren't far behind, most of them grumbling about how he was a ball-hog and didn't know a thing about teamwork.

"What a disappointment. You said that redhead was good, but he was still no match for me." He mumbled, acknowledging the short girl's presence.

"I…I think he has a lot of potential. Maybe next time he-"

"What 'next time'?" His voice was slightly raised. It caused Emiko to pause for a short moment. "There's no way I'm gonna play against those losers again."

"Aomine…" She muttered. He was so hot-headed. There was no reason to assume they couldn't get better. He froze at her using his last name.

"What did you call me?" She looked up at him. There was an animosity in his eyes, likely remaining inside him from when he was playing. Emiko frowned. She was tired of dealing with his attitude. She closed her mouth and sped up her pace, walking away from the tall teen. "Wait, Emi."

It was too late. She would talk to him later when his attitude was back in check. Emiko headed home alone that night a small frown still embedded into her forehead as she slept.

* * *

Hey! Thanks for reading! Hope ya like it!

Thanks to Savage Kill for being my first commenter (besides a slightly rude anon)! I'm glad you're enjoying it! And the reason shall be revealed soon... ;)

See ya later! Rate/Review/Follow!


	5. Chapter 5

It wasn't until the day after the basketball game when Emiko saw Aomine. The front door rang and she climbed down her stairs to answer it. She opened it to reveal the tanned male, who quickly rushed in and proceeded to walk into her living room with a frown on his face.

"Have you talked to Satsuki recently?"

"What? No, not since before the game against Seirin. Why?" Emiko frowned.

"Just wondering. Where's your punching bag? I need to hit something." He walked into her small personal gym, grabbing a pair of boxing gloves before heading to the large red bag hanging from the ceiling.

"What happened?" Aomine began punching the bag furiously, his eyebrows knotted in rage. Emiko rushed over to him, grabbing his left hand before he could throw another punch. "Dai-chan, what's wrong?"

Aomine immediately stopped and turned his head to look at her with a frown.

"Satsuki won't let me play in the next game."

Emiko's eyes widened in surprise. "Why not?"

"She says my knees are too weak or something."

"Well, maybe you should trust her on that. She _is_ your manager. We wouldn't want you getting injured."

Aomine scoffed. "Yeah, right. You're acting just like her." He resumed punching.

"Dai-chan… you should be taking it easy if Satsuki says you're likely to overexert yourself."

"Shut up."

"Dai-chan." She said once more. He didn't respond this time, continuing to beat up the punching bag. Emiko frowned. "Aomine." His eyebrows twitched slightly before he began to punch harder. "Dai-chan, please."

"What do you want?!" He shouted.

Emiko wrapped her arms around him from behind, causing him to freeze, his arms dropping to his sides.

"Why don't we play some video games or something instead of you doing this?" His shoulders tensed for a moment before relaxing. He sighed.

"Fine."

Emiko found herself sitting on the living room floor a short while later. There were game controllers in both Aomine and her hands as they furiously mashed buttons to make their characters beat each other up. Emiko grinned as her character cheered at its victory, causing Aomine to grumble some incomprehensible words.

"Are you hungry, Dai-chan? I'm going to make something since I haven't had lunch yet." Emiko stood up and made her way toward the kitchen.

"Yeah. Make me something as well, please." He called to her, staring at the television screen.

Emiko put some rice and water in a pot before getting out some vegetables to cut. She threw the chopped up veggies into a pan while the rice cooked.

After getting out some plates, Emiko filled them with the food and walked over to the dinner table. She called his name out to tell him the food was ready, but she got no response. She set the plates down and peeked into the living room, finding a sleeping Aomine.

_He must be tired from yesterday's game._

"Dai-chan…" She said quietly, walking over to his unconscious body laying her couch. His lips were slightly parted as he breathed in and out slowly, his right arm tucked under his head for support. He looked so peaceful while asleep. "Hey…" She kneeled down beside the couch and reached a hand out to shake his shoulder, but somehow it found its way to his hair instead. A blush formed on her cheeks as she ran her fingers through his short, navy locks.

Emiko froze when she saw a blue eye peek open, his breathing stopping abruptly for a moment.

"What're you doing?" He mumbled. Her eyes were wide as she tried to think of a response. She retracted her hand from his head quickly, her face becoming redder than before. A lazy smirk found its way to Aomine's face. "You're blushing again. Were you having dirty thoughts about me?"

Emiko's eyebrows furrowed as she turned away with a pout.

"No. I was waking you up. Lunch is ready."

Aomine smiled, yawned, and then ruffled Emiko's hair before getting standing up from the couch. The two walked over to the dining room, a blush still apparent on Emiko's face.

"You didn't put any broccoli in this, right? Remember what happened last time?" Aomine asked. Emiko grimaced at the thought. She had discovered that the green vegetable made her faint and nauseous a while back when she was making food for herself, Satsuki, and Aomine. She ended up spending the rest of the night leaning over the toilet throwing up.

"No, I didn't."

Aomine gave her a satisfied smile and gobbled down the food before staring at Emiko, who was going at a much slower pace.

"Why were you so keen on stopping me from using the punching bag, anyway?" He asked, propping his head up with his forearm.

"Well," Emiko sighed, setting down her cutlery for a moment, "it reminded me too much of the ending of middle school when you kept getting into fights. It scares me sometimes, Dai-chan."

Aomine scoffed, "That's stupid. Why would you be scared of me getting into fights? It's not like I'm a puny kid like you."

"Because I care about you." Aomine's face darkened at Emiko's words. "I wouldn't want to see you get hurt, even if it's unlikely. Especially since you've been doing so well recently."

Emiko sighed and stood up, collecting the two plates and bringing them to the kitchen sink.

"Emi…"

Emiko didn't reply. Her phone's text tone rang shortly after.

"That's weird…It's an unknown number." She mumbled, opening the message.

_Hey, Emiko-san. It's Kagami from your brother's team. I got your number from him. I was wondering if you'd want to go out to eat some time. Let me know._

Emiko's face grew red as she read through the message.

"What is it? You're making a weird face."

"I-it's Kagami-kun."

"Who?"

"The guy from Tetsu-chan's team."

"The red-head? What does he want with you?" Aomine's eyes squinted at Emiko's red face.

"H-he wants to go out with me…" She mumbled.

"Haa? Sucks to be him. How're you gonna break it to him that you're not interested?"

"What?" Emiko looked up. "Why would I do that?"

"Wha…you're not saying that you like him, are you?" Aomine grimaced.

"Well…I…I think he's cute enough…" Emiko's face grew red once more.

"Idiot." Emiko frowned and looked at Aomine in confusion. "Why would you go out with someone you've only met once?"

"This is the first time anyone's ever asked me out. Can't you just be happy for me?"

"I'm not gonna approve of a shitty basketball player going out with you." He grunted.

"Everyone's a shitty player in your eyes. The only person you'd approve of in that case would be…" Emiko paused for a moment, her cheeks tinting pink. Aomine looked up with furrowed brows. "…you." She shook her head frantically. "I'm going out with him and that's that. I don't care what you think on the matter."

"Fine," Aomine crossed his arms, "then I'm going with you. Where are you two meeting up?"

"That's none of your business! You can't call it a date if there are three people! You're not coming and that's that!"

"Fine," Aomine made his way to the front door, "I'm leaving then."

"Dai-chan…" Emiko followed him while looking at her feet. "Wait…"

"No, everyone's being stupid today. I'm going home."

"Dai-ch-" He slammed the door behind him. Emiko sighed. Her phone buzzed, indicating a new message from Kagami. She chose to ignore it for a short while, choosing to talk to her only female friend instead. The call tone rang a few times before she heard it being answered.

_"Emi-chan? What's up?" _Satsuki's voice rang from the other line.

"I…I made Aomine really angry…"

Satsuki laughed.

_"Well, that makes two of us then."_

"Oh yeah, he told me about that. Just so you know I'm on your side."

_"Thank you! But why's he angry at you now?"_

"I don't really know. I got asked out by one of Tetsu-chan's friends and he freaked out and left…" Emiko frowned when she heard giggling on the other line. "What?"

_"I think he likes you!"_

Emiko's eyes widened. "Wh-what do you mean? Of course he likes me. We're friends-"

_"Not like that, silly! He _like_ likes you! Dai-chan's got a crush on you!"_

"That's ridiculous, Satsuki." Emiko sighed. "There's no way he'd feel that way about me."

_"Wait, does that mean that you like him?"_

"I…uh…I have to go." Emiko hung up immediately, scrunching her eyes up as she pressed the 'end call' button. She didn't want to think about such things. Sure, she and Aomine got along for the most part, but even Kise's sister didn't think Emiko was in his league. She sighed and sat down on her couch, frowning.

What a strange day.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it!

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New comment = new chapter asap!

Rate/fav/comment/review! It means a lot! :)))


	6. Chapter 6

"So, what exactly did you have in mind, Kagami-kun?" Emiko asked, walking beside the tall red-head. His hands were in his jean pockets as he nervously looked around the street. Emiko thought it was cute how timid he was around her. She was dressed in a blue skirt and a cute dressy top.

"I was gonna take you to this really good burger joint, if that's okay with you." Taiga looked down at Emiko with a red tint in his cheeks. Emiko smiled.

"Sounds good!"

Kagami smiled back as they continued to walk toward the restaurant. "So, how've you been since I last saw you? You seemed pretty excited about our game. I hope you weren't too sad about our loss."

"Oh, it's fine. I'm sure you guys will kick their butts next time! The only thing that bugged me about it was the fact that Dai-chan didn't get beaten. He gets so arrogant after he wins games."

"You mean Aomine-kun? I didn't know you two were close." Kagami said, frowning.

"Tetsu-chan didn't tell you?"

"Kuroko doesn't talk about you much. He just mentioned that you moved out because the school you wanted to go to was so far away."

Emiko was a little hurt that Tetsuya didn't mention her to his friends. She said nothing about it, though, and instead carried on with the initial conversation. "Dai-chan's one of the people I hang out with at school. Although, he wasn't being very nice to me yesterday…"

"Oh? Why's that?" Kagami opened the door for her when they reached the burger joint.

"Something stupid, probably." '_Dai-chan's got a crush on you!'_, Emiko could hear Momoi's voice echoing through her head. "Let's stop talking about him. What about you? What have you been up to recently?"

The two conversed and laughed for an hour or two at the burger joint, Emiko eating a veggie stir fry while Kagami dug into multiple hamburgers. Kagami was talking about a funny event that went on between his basketball team when Emiko began to feel faint. She found it hard to focus on what he was saying, drifting in and out of the conversation.

"Hey, are you alright? You look kind of pale." Kagami asked, leaning over the table to get a closer look at her.

"Um…yeah, I'm fine I just…" Emiko stared out the restaurant's window, locking eyes with a familiar navy-haired boy. His concerned face was the last thing she saw before the room faded to black. She felt her head come in contact with the booth's seat.

"Hey, Emiko-san!" She heard Kagami say from across the table.

"Is she alright?" A female voice asked. Emiko heard the bell at the front door ring, indicating a new customer. Heavy footsteps sounded as they came closer to her.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Aomine? Why was he here?

"What?! I didn't do anything! She just turned pale and now she's like this! Where the hell did you come from anyway?!" Kagami argued.

"Hey, Emi, wake up." Emiko felt light tapping on her cheek, making her eyebrows scrunch together.

"Dai-chan, your hand's really warm…" She mumbled, attempting to open her eyes. The corners of Aomine's lips twitched upward at her comment. "I don't feel very well… I think there was some broccoli in my stir fry…"

"Broccoli? Why would that be a problem…?" Kagami muttered while Aomine kneeled down helped Emiko sit up.

"Do you feel sick?" Aomine asked her quietly. Emiko shook her head.

"Just…a little…faint." Her eyes closed once more, her head landing on Aomine's chest.

"Hey, what's going on? Why did you mention broccoli?" Kagami asked the two as they mumbled to each other. Aomine turned quickly to Kagami, who flinched.

"I'm gonna take her home."

"No, that's fine. I can do it. Tell me what's wrong and I can take care of her." Kagami stood up and took out some money to pay for his and Emiko's meals.

"Like hell I'd trust you with her!" Aomine yelled, scooping Emiko's small body up bridal style.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagami's brows furrowed.

"Who knows what kind of perverted shit you had in mind for her. It's not happening. I'm taking her home." Aomine brushed past the redhead with the unconscious girl in his arms. Angrily, Kagami turned around to look at the tanned teen.

"Hey!" He shouted, causing Aomine to look over his shoulder. "J-just…take care of her, okay? Tell her to text me when she wakes up." Kagami's cheeks reddened. Aomine rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Tch. Yeah, right."

* * *

Emiko forced her eyes open when she felt herself moving inside a car. She felt the chest she was leaning on slowly breathe in and out. A warm hand was placed on her outside arm, keeping her snuggled into the chest. A sweater that didn't belong to her hung over her shoulders.

"You're really warm, Dai-chan." She mumbled, snuggling her head into his chest more.

"Shut up. You've gotta be more careful about what you eat, okay? What if I'm not there next time to help you? You're such a pain in my ass..." Emiko smiled as he rambled on about her inconveniencing him. To others, it would seem like he was chewing her out, but really he was letting her know that he was worried.

"Why were you outside the restaurant in the first place? Were you spying on us? You're such a creeper." The light blue-haired girl giggled as she looked up at him.

"No," Aomine turned his head away from her, "I was walking back from basketball practice when I saw you."

"Liar. You never go to practice." His eyebrow twitched as he continued to look out the window. "You're so silly. Maybe people should call you _Aho_mine instead of Aomine."

"If you keep insulting me, I'm gonna hurt you." As soon as he finished his statement, the taxi stopped in front of Emiko's apartment.

Emiko crawled out of the car, still wearing Aomine's sweater, and began stumbling to her door. Her head was aching and she felt dizzy. Even her stomach was beginning to hurt. She felt a pair of hands wrap around her waist to help her stand up. '_Dai-chan's got a crush on you!'_ Emiko's face reddened as she remembered Momoi's words.

"H-hey, Dai-chan…"

"What is it?" He mumbled, grabbing the spare key in a plant pot before opening the door.

"Are you going to stay here tonight?"

"Well, yeah. I'm not gonna let you puke over your toilet all by yourself." He glanced at her as he helped her inside. Emiko smiled. "What is it?"

"Nothing." She felt his large hand ruffle her hair before falling onto her shoulder as he helped her walk to her bedroom.

As he laid her down onto her bed, Emiko watched as Aomine's blue eyes glowed in the moonlight coming from her window. He frowned. "Why're you looking at me like that?"

Emiko said nothing, smiling and reaching up to place a hand on Aomine's cheek. She pulled his head down to hers, touching their foreheads together. His eyes were wide with confusion, but he didn't question her actions. His skin was warm as usual. His hot breath warmed the tip of Emiko's nose as they held the position. It began to grow even hotter with each passing minute as the two stayed in that position. Emiko's facial expression began twitching, however.

"My stomach hurts…" She removed her hand from Aomine's cheek and placed it on her belly.

"I told you not to eat broccoli, you idiot. I'll go get you something. Where do you keep your painkillers?" He asked, quickly walking toward her bedroom's exit.

"Over the bathroom sink. Thank you." Emiko smiled, rolling over to face her wall.

As Aomine searched through the bathroom's medicine cabinet, he noticed how red his face had gotten from being so close to Emiko.

"Relax," he told himself as he grabbed a small bottle of ibuprofen, "it's just Emi. There's no reason to be so uneasy."

Aomine sighed as he entered Emiko's room once more. He peered at the small body facing away from him with curiosity. Quietly, he paced up to her bed, peering over to look at her face.

"Hey, Emi." He whispered, shaking her shoulder softly.

"Hmm…?" Her tired eyes peered over to look at him.

"I got you some pills. Do you need water?"

"No, I can just swallow them." Aomine nodded at her statement and handed her two brown pills, turning away to prepare her living room couch for his slumber. "Wait," he heard her voice call out. He froze at the doorway, peering over his shoulders at the small girl. "You can sleep in here if you want. I'm freezing, anyway. It'd be nice to have some extra heat. I-if you want to, that is." She smiled with a nervous look in her eyes. Aomine shifted uncomfortably before smirking.

"You're blushing again. What is it this time? Are you planning on doing dirty things to me?"

"S-shut up! I didn't mean it like that!" Her face was red once more, "and I've never had dirty thoughts about you!"

Aomine scoffed, "yeah, right." He paced over to the bed.

The pale girl shuffled toward the wall to provide some space for the much larger boy. He climbed into the bed with his eyebrow knotted, unsure about the circumstances.

This wasn't what normal friends did, he was sure of it. However, he wanted to be with her all the same. Emiko placed an arm over his chest, resting her head by his shoulder. He felt his own face heat up once more, but moved his arm under the girl so he could bring her closer to him nevertheless. A soft smile made its way onto his face as he slowly fell asleep in the small bedroom.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Here's a little fluff for yall!

Thanks to Xxdreamergirl95xX for the review! It means a lot! :)

New reviewer = new chappy asap!


	7. Chapter 7

Emiko opened her eyes slowly, making out the soft blue colour of her bedroom wall. She attempted to stretch, but a pair of large, warm arms that were wrapped around her waist prevented her from making any large movements. She turned her head to look at her captor, eyes widening as she made out the boy's face.

"D-Dai-chan…" She whispered, tensing up. Her cheeks tinted pink at their proximity. She saw his eyes part open, instantly staring into hers. "Wh-what are you doing in my bed?!" Her voice became louder with each word. By the end of the sentence, she was yelling. Aomine's eyes instantly widened, his mind snapping completely awake. He immediately removed his hands from her waist. Little did he know, she was the only thing keeping him completely on the bed, meaning his release of her resulted in him falling to the floor.

Emiko peered over the bed at the dark-skinned boy sitting unconventionally on her floor. He had a lazy frown on his face as he scratched his head and yawned.

"You told me to sleep in your bed last night, so I did. It's no big deal."

Aomine was trying to play it cool, but the blush on his face told Emiko different.

"No big deal? Then why did you freak out and fall off of the bed?" Emiko asked, leaning her chin on the edge of her mattress.

"You were yelling! It startled me!" He shouted, bringing his face closer to hers. Emiko was about to reply when the two heard the ring of her doorbell.

"Could you go get that, Dai-chan?" The pale girl smiled innocently. Aomine groaned, standing up and walking out of the bedroom.

The navy-haired teen yawned as he opened the front door, pausing at the person in front of him.

"Dai-chan? What're you doing here?" Satsuki asked, fully dressed with a bag of movies in one of her hands. She smirked slightly and whispered at him, "did you two finally hook up?"

"Haa? No! Emi got sick on her date with Kagami, so I had to stay with her and take care of her."

"Say what you want, Dai-chan. We both know you're totally into our sweet little blue-haired friend." Momoi grinned menacingly. Aomine opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a shout coming from Emiko's bedroom.

"You shouldn't tell such lies, Satsuki-chan." The small blue-haired girl emerged from her bedroom, yawning as Aomine and Momoi walked into the living room. "People will start to believe them." Aomine avoided eye contact with Emiko, turning his head and staring out the living room window with a glare. Satsuki glanced at him, noticing his discomfort.

"Is something wrong, Dai-chan?" She asked.

"No." He glanced at Emiko before flicking his eyes away right after she caught his gaze.

"Are you sure?" The pink-haired girl pressed.

"It's nothing."

"Dai-chan, why're you acting weird?" Emiko mumbled.

"I said it's nothing!" His voice was raised, causing both of the girls to flinch. "Satsuki, was there a reason you came over or are you just here to piss me off?"

Momoi frowned, crossing her arms. "Actually, I came here to ask Emi-chan if she was okay after _you_ freaked out at her!"

Aomine paused, turning to the now wide-eyed blue-haired girl. "Emi…you were _that_ upset?"

"Of course she was, idiot! You're her closest friend! Not to mention she li-"

"Satsuki-chan. It's alright." Emiko interrupted the pink-haired girl with a solemn expression. "It's all in the past now. Do either of you want to play some basketball?"

* * *

"Akihito-san?"

"Here."

"Amara-san?"

"Here."

"Aomine-san?" Silence followed the teacher as students turned their heads to the back of the classroom, looking for the missing pupil. "Aomine-san?" Emiko glanced at the empty desk beside her, rolling her eyes when she found it empty. The teacher sighed and scribbled down something on his attendance clipboard. Emiko frowned, pulled out her phone, and started texting the navy-haired delinquent.

_If you don't start coming to class soon, you're gonna get kicked out of school._

As soon as she clicked 'send', a new message came in from Kagami.

_Hey, how are you today? I was wondering since our last date didn't end too well if you want to go out some time this week?_

Emiko smiled at the text, and quickly replied an acceptance to the date.

_Are you free Thursday?_, he asked.

The blue-haired girl replied with a 'Yes' before standing up from her seat and walking toward her teacher. Aomine wasn't replying, which couldn't mean anything good.

"Excuse me, Sensei, but may I go to the bathroom please?" The greying man gave the girl a short nod before resuming his marking of papers. Emiko shut the door behind her as she left the room quickly, racing to the stairs that led to the top of the school.

She groaned at the bright sunlight as she stepped out onto the roof. She began climbing the ladder as she had so many other times before. Once she reached the ultimately highest point of the school, she crossed her arms as she glared at the sleeping dark-skinned student.

"Dai-chan, how many times do I have to tell you that spending too much time in the sun can give you cancer?"

The boy groaned, placing an arm over his eyes. "Don't you have a class to attend?"

"I should be asking you the same question!" Emiko walked over to the laying student and plopped down beside him, sitting on her knees. "If you keep skipping, your grades will drop even lower, which means you won't be able to participate in the next basketball tournament!"

"I'll just get you to tutor me." He mumbled, rolling on his side to face her. Emiko frowned.

"You can't just rely on me to be your brain. You need to get through high school, Dai-chan."

"Are you free Thursday?"

"Wha? No, I'm not, actually-"

"I'm taking you to an amusement park. You need to learn how to have fun."

"No! I already said I'm busy! You're so…"

"I'm so _what_? What could you possibly be doing besides homework?"

Emiko frowned at her rude friend. "I have a date with Kagami-kun, as a matter of fact."

"Why would you go out with that loser again?" He sat up and frowned at the girl. "It's not like the first time went well."

"Kagami-kun's sweet, unlike you." Emiko mumbled.

"What makes you think you can compare me to that runt? Unless you consider us both your romantic interests…" Aomine smirked as he pondered about her intentions. Emiko's face went pink.

"That's not…Why're you so…" Emiko's cheeks blushed even darker as Aomine rolled over and caged Emiko between his arms. "What're you doing, Aomine?"

"Don't call me that," He mumbled, bringing his face closer to hers.

"Why not? It's just a name." Emiko frowned, trying to hide her blush.

"You only call me that when you're pissed at me." Emiko could feel his breath on her lips. She turned her head away.

"I'm not mad at you."

"Oh? Then why won't you look at me?"

"I…" She swallowed, closed her eyes, and turned her head back to face him, opening her eyes when she was done positioning her head. She could feel her face burning up as she stared at the smirking teen.

"Why're you blushing?" He asked.

Emiko sighed. "If you're just going to make fun of me, can you get off of me?"

Aomine frowned. "I'm not making fun of you. I asked you a question." He inched his face closer. "Why…" Closer. "Are…" Closer. "You…" Emiko closed her eyes as his forehead pressed against hers. "Blushing?" He whispered close to her lips.

"Dai-chan? Are you up here?"

_Thank the heavens for Satsuki._

Aomine immediately rolled off of the pale girl, resuming his original position. A pink head momentarily popped up from the ladder, eyeing a blushing Emiko with suspicion.

"Emi-chan? What're you doing here? And why's your face so red? Did something happen?"

Emiko glanced at a slightly smirking Aomine before shaking her head at Satsuki.

"No. It's probably just a sun burn." She said, standing up and walking toward the ladder.

"Well, the both of you should be getting to class! We can't have you slacking, especially you, Dai-chan!" Satsuki had her hands on her hips like a disappointed mother. "If you don't do well in your exams, you won't be able to compete at the Winter Cup!"

Aomine sat up, yawning. "Fine. Emi, wait up." Emiko was already at the door to the stairwell and hesitated for a moment, trying to decide if she wanted to wait or not. She sighed as she decided against it, walking down the stairwell at a relatively quick pace. When she got to the bottom, a large arm wrapped around her shoulders, causing her to frown.

"You've been acting weird again, Dai-chan."

"Why won't you hang out with me Thursday?"

"I told you. I'm going out with Kagami-kun."

Aomine frowned, turning his head away. He released his arm from her shoulders when they reached their classroom. They made their way inside and the teacher gave Emiko a supportive smile when he saw that she brought back the skipper with her.

Aomine glared at Emiko for the rest of the period. When she turned her head to give him a questioning look, he whipped out his phone and began texting. Shortly after, Emiko's phone buzzed.

_Tell that redhead that it's gonna be a double date._

* * *

Hey, thanks for reading! Special thanks to Savage Kill and B.B.K for the reviews!

Comment/review/favourite!

Just a heads up that this chapter might be the last for a while. A while meaning a week or two. I've got a lot going on at school so we'll see.

Bye!


	8. Chapter 8

"Where are we going again?"

"He said it was a restaurant called the 'Jackson Hole'." Emiko and Kagami walked down the busy downtown street with their hands in their pockets and nervous faces. Emiko was used to Kagami being nervous around her, but she was anxious for a different reason.

Who was Aomine's date? Why was Emiko so concerned with that question? She couldn't figure out the answer to either one of the questions.

As they walked up to the wooden sign saying 'The Jackson Hole', Kagami grabbed the door and opened it for Emiko. The blue-haired girl let out a nervous breath of air before thanking the redhead and heading inside. The two looked around the small restaurant for a moment until Emiko spotted the back of a navy coloured head. Beside the familiar male was a blonde, but Emiko couldn't make out her face just yet. She grabbed Kagami's hand, causing his face to go slightly red, and headed over to the table.

As they neared the booth, Emiko immediately recognized the blonde. It was Kise's sister from a few weeks back. What was her name again? Akiko? Akira?

"Finally you guys decided to show up. Aneko and I already ordered." Aomine mumbled in a bored tone as Emiko and Kagami took their seats on the opposite side of the booth.

"It's nice to see you again, Aneko-san." Emiko said with a soft smile. She might as well be polite to the girl. She didn't seem like the type that one would want to see angry.

"Uh-huh." The girl mumbled, texting someone on her phone. Emiko's weak smile dropped at the blonde's lack of manners. Emiko sighed and looked down, fiddling with her fingers.

"How's Tetsu?" Aomine asked, his eyes challenging Kagami's as he stirred his drink, clearly not very interested in the answer.

"He's fine. He's learning a new move, so you'd better be prepared for our next game." Kagami's face remained as stern as Aomine's, both challenging each other with rock hard gazes.

Aomine scoffed. "Hah? As if I'd even need to make an appearance if my team faced yours. You're all too weak to defeat my team as it is."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." The two boys turned to Emiko, who was practically glaring at Aomine. "Tetsu-chan's really confident in his new abilities. I can tell. You should be prepared, Aomine." The navy-haired teen twitched at his name. His mouth formed into a straight line.

"Hello, can I take your orders?" A male waiter holding a tray of drinks stood beside the table with a worried smile.

"I'll have a water, please." Emiko said politely to the man while he set the two drinks by Aneko and Aomine.

"Me too, please." Kagami said, giving the man a slight smile.

"Excuse me, which dish on the menu has the least amount of calories?" Aneko asked the waiter, leaning over and placing her hand under her chin, "Although, if we're being honest, I'm not really the one who should be watching by weight." She looked straight at Emiko while she talked, causing the blue-haired girl to look away.

Aomine glanced at Aneko with a frown, but made no mention of her remark. Kagami gave Emiko a short gaze, making sure she wasn't severely upset. She didn't seem to be, but she _was _being more quiet than usual.

"I'll have a burger, please." Aomine said, handing the waiter his menu.

"Alright, I'll be right back with your drinks and menus." The man said, writing something down on his notepad and walking away.

"So," The blonde girl began staring at Emiko once more, "what makes you think you're worthy of dating this guy now?"

Emiko was speechless. She had never met someone so rude in her life. "I-I…I wasn't dating Aomine in the first place! And why don't you ask Kagami-kun since he's the one who asked me out?" Aomine flinched at his name once more before Kagami turned to Emiko with a confused look.

"Wait, does that mean you wouldn't have gone out with me if I hadn't asked you to?"

"What? No, I…" Emiko started.

"Of course that's what she means! Everyone knows she likes Daiki-kun!" Aneko almost shouted. Aomine stiffened, looking at Emiko. Emiko froze, staring at the blonde in shock.

"Emiko-san?" Kagami asked. All eyes were on Emiko.

She couldn't move. Her mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out. Her eyes locked with Aomine, who was giving her an unreadable look. She stood up and headed to the exit without a second thought.

"Emi…"

"Hey, Emiko-san!"

"There's no need to run after her. You could do so much better than that. The both of you could."

"Could you stop being such a-" Emiko shut the door before she heard Aomine finish his sentence. She breathed in the city smell of Tokyo, sighing as she leaned against the brick wall beside her.

It wasn't long before the door to the restaurant opened again, revealing Kagami.

"What went on in there? What was she talking about?" He asked with a slight frown on his face.

"Kise is so nice. How could his sister be so different? I…I don't understand how some people can be so mean…" Emiko whispered, refusing to make eye contact with him.

"Hey…She was wrong about all of that stuff. Well…at least the first two. Do you like Aomine-kun, Emiko-san?"

"How could she…say such things…"

"Hey, I'm trying to talk to you. I don't think you should be going out with me if you like someone else. So tell me…" The door opened again, revealing a worried-looking Aomine and a pouting, cross-armed Aneko. "Do you like Aomine-kun?" As Kagami asked the question, Emiko looked up and accidentally caught gazes with the navy-haired teen.

Her eyes began to sting.

As if he knew what she was about to do, Aomine began to walk toward her. She couldn't take it.

She ran.

With tears in her eyes, she ran. She ran even though the walking meter had a red hand. She ran past sketchy looking groups of men and dark alleys without a second thought. She kept hearing in the distance, a faint call of her name.

Emiko stopped by an empty alley, and decided to walk in a little to stay hidden and regain her breath. The voice was coming closer. She leaned against the brick wall, sliding down as more tears began to pour down her face. She shivered as she remembered that she forgot a coat.

"Emi...!" The voice called out over the bustling vehicles of the city. She hugged her knees to her body as she quietly sobbed. "Emi! Where the hell are you?" She heard footsteps only meters away, not bothering to look up at the male. They stopped in front of the alley, walking toward her. "There you are. Don't do that again, you idiot." She felt a warm fabric embrace her as Aomine kneeled beside her.

"I-I'm so-sorry…Dai-chan…" She shivered, clutching onto his coat.

For the first time in too long, the navy-haired boy ruffled her hair, which only made her cry harder.

"C'mon." He said, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her up into a standing position. "Let's go home. I bet my mom's making supper right now. If we leave now, we'll be there in time for it to be served."

Emiko smiled at his words. He always knew what to say. He slung his arm over her shoulders as they walked down the busy street.

* * *

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	9. Chapter 9

Within twenty minutes, Emiko and Aomine had made it into their neighbourhood, trudging along until they reached Aomine's house. As Aomine opened the door, they immediately heard the sound of his mother's calm voice.

"Daiki, is that you? I've just finished making dinner. Is Emiko-chan with you? I made her favourite." The middle-aged woman turned around to see the two teens. Her eyes immediately fell on Emiko, who still had a tear-stained face. "Oh, sweetie, did you have a bad date? It wasn't this jerk's fault, was it?"

"Hey!" Aomine complained at his mother's insult.

Emiko shook her head with a small smile.

"Come in, come in. I've made chicken teriyaki and miso soup." Aomine's mother gently guided Emiko to the kitchen where the food was waiting.

Throughout the entire meal, Aomine wouldn't keep his eyes off of Emiko. She gave him a few questioning looks now and then, but each time he would snap out of his gaze and revert back to his food until she stopped looking.

"So tell me about this boy you've been going out with. Daiki hasn't stopped complaining about him for the past few weeks!" His mother giggled.

"Mom!" Aomine complained once more.

Emiko let out a short chuckle. "He's just one of my brother's teammates from Seirin. Although, I don't think I'll be going out with him anymore." Aomine looked up curiously at her statement

"Oh? Why's that?" His mother asked.

"He's just not the guy for me, I suppose. Plus, I think I like someone else." Emiko muttered, picking at her food.

"He wasn't the one who ruined your date, was he?"

Emiko shook her head. "No, it was…" She looked up at Aomine.

"My date," Aomine stated, "she was stuck-up and rude. I don't think we'll be seeing much of her anymore."

"Well, that's good." Aomine's mother smiled. "Anyone who thinks it's okay to upset our dear Emiko-chan doesn't deserve our friendship."

Emiko smiled at the woman. Just like Aomine, she had a natural talent for being able to say the right thing at the right time.

The trio finished their dinner with a few embarrassing stories told by Aomine's mother. The teens washed their plates and headed upstairs to Aomine's room. Once they got there, Aomine flopped onto his bed and stared at his TV blankly. Emiko looked around the messy room, finding multiple gravure idol magazines lying around.

"You know, you should really put these away when you have friends over." Emiko sighed, picking up the magazines and piling them on his desk.

"Why? It's not like you don't know that I read them."

"What if you have a girl over? She'd think you're a pervert." Emiko began gathering up his dirty clothes and placing them in his laundry basket.

"_You're_ a girl."

Emiko paused, looking at Aomine. She sighed, "That's different."

"How is that different? You've got tits. That means you're a girl. Do _you_ think I'm a pervert?"

Emiko's face went red as she crossed her arms over her chest and sat on the edge of his bed. "Please don't talk like that."

The blue-haired girl felt the bed shake, then a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, as well as a pair of legs big-spooning her own. She felt her face heat up when she noticed his hot breath on her neck.

"I'm sorry about tonight."

Emiko was shocked at his words. She'd only heard the boy sincerely apologize one other time in her life. The time before was when he accidentally sent her to the hospital by hitting her in the head with a basketball. And it wasn't even his idea to apologize then – it was Tetsuya who forced Aomine to visit her hospital room and say he's sorry.

"Don't worry about it, Dai-chan. Your mom cheered me up. I'm fine now." She said with a soft smile, placing her hands over his. Aomine pulled on her waist, causing her to lie down on top of him. "D-Dai-chan, what're you-" Emiko felt a warm hand slap over her mouth.

"Shut up." He muttered, keeping his hand there. "I'm trying to sleep."

The girl's face heated up once more, causing a smirk to make its way onto Aomine's lips – not that Emiko could see it. "I-I can't sleep like this," She rolled to the side so she was facing him, "You're gonna have to move…" Aomine pulled her into him again, this time with her face squished against his chest. Being a well-endowed girl, Emiko couldn't find any comfort in this position either. "Dai-chan…"

"Hmm…?"

"This hurts…Can we find a different position?"

Aomine smirked. "Wow, Emi. It sounds like you're talking about something completely different."

Her face went red for the umpteenth time that night. "That's not what I meant!"

Aomine chuckled as they rearranged positions so he and Emiko were laying side-by-side. He frowned when she didn't immediately cuddle into him.

"You couldn't stop hugging me the last time we slept in the same bed. What's going on?"

Emiko stared at him with wide eyes. "N-nothing. I just…"

"You just what?" He moved closer to her.

Emiko looked away with pink cheeks. "People kept saying that I like you, so…"

"Why would that matter?" Closer.

"I didn't want to make it awkward…"

"Why would it be awkward?" Closer.

"Because…" She could barely speak anymore. His face was too close for her to not blush as much as possible. Emiko sighed. "Why do you get such a kick out of making me uncomfortable?"

Aomine smiled as their noses touched. Not a smirk – a smile. "I'm testing you."

"For what?" She groaned. He had played enough games with her over the years that she was entirely fed up with them.

"To see if you'll let me kiss you or not."

Emiko froze, eyes wide at the navy-haired boy in front of her. He wanted to kiss her? "Dai-chan…you…" His lips were inching closer to hers with every word she managed to stutter out. She turned her head to the side, causing him to pause. "Nevermind." She said, turning away from him entirely.

Aomine let out an audible sigh before wrapping his arms around Emiko's waist and squishing his head into the back of her neck. They fell asleep in that position, both dreaming of each other.

* * *

Hey, sorry it's short but no one's commented on the last chapter yet, so I'm a little disappointed haha!

Thanks for reading and PLEASE COMMENT! It helps to encourage me to write more! Plus I'm open to any suggestions anyone has!

See ya soon!


	10. Chapter 10

"Sorry, Kuroko-san. Are you going to the summer festival tonight?" Emiko turned her head to the shy, apologetic boy who sat in front of her.

"Oh, I hadn't thought about it. That sounds nice, though. Are you going with a group, Sakurai-kun?"

"Well, yes. Sort of. The basketball team is going, but neither you nor Aomine-san have gone to the last two practices, so I'd figure I'd ask you. Sorry."

"I'll ask Dai-chan at lunch. It sounds fun!" Emiko gave the scared-looking boy a sweet smile, causing him to smile nervously back. The bell rang only a few seconds after, signalling the start of class. There was no sign of Aomine, however. Emiko whipped out her cellphone and began texting the navy-haired teen furiously.

_Sakurai wants to go to the summer festival tonight._

She wondered what Aomine would think of the festival. He'd never been a very celebratory person, but he _did_ enjoy eating food. Emiko's phone buzzed a moment later. Her face grew red at the message.

_I'll go if you wear a cute yukata._

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sakurai turn partially around.

"Kuroko-san? What did he say? Sorry."

Emiko jumped at the boy's voice. "Oh, um, he said okay."

"That's great. Now the team won't beat me up!" Sakurai said with a shy smile. Emiko gave him a confused look before deciding to not bother asking for an explanation. She stood up and walked to her teacher, asking if she could be excused to go to the bathroom. He gave her a quick nod before she briskly walked through the halls up to the school's roof.

"What do you mean by that?" Emiko yelled as soon as she reached the top.

"What do you _think_ I mean by that?" She heard the deep voice mumble as she climbed the school's ladder.

"I'm not gonna wear a yukata just because you want me to."

"Then I'm not going." Emiko sighed as she walked over to the stubborn teen. "Red today? That's hot."

The girl's face turned pink at his reference to her underwear, causing her hands to shoot down to pull down her skirt. "You're such a pervert."

"Why's that? You clearly switched colours for me."

"I did not!" She argued, sitting down beside him, preventing any other comments about her undergarments to spew out. "…You can't not go. I already told Sakurai-kun that you were going. And if you don't, the team's going to beat him up…"

"Why should I care about that? You shouldn't have told him that I was gonna go if we haven't even fully talked about it yet."

"Dai-chan…please. You never go to practice. This is the perfect opportunity to get to know your teammates!"

"Why would I wanna do that?" He grumbled, shielding his eyes from the sun with his forearm. The giant wasn't budging. Emiko pursed her lips, attempting to think of a way to get him to accept the invitation.

"I'll wear a yukata if you pay for it."

Aomine's eyebrow twitched. He removed his forearm from his eyes, turning to look at the blue-eyed girl. "Isn't that something a boyfriend does for his girlfriend?"

Emiko looked away and shrugged her shoulders, attempting to hide a blush. "If you don't want to, it's fine. You'll just never see me in one at all." She stood up, walking toward the ladder. "Have a nice nap, Dai-chan."

"Hey, wait…" He said, sitting up. "I'll do it. But you have to wear it no matter what – even if you don't like it."

Emiko crossed her arms, quickly nodding after. "Fine. Come to class, then."

The navy-haired teen sighed. "Why?"

"Exams are in two weeks, that's why! I'm not letting you fail, Dai-chan."

Aomine rubbed his face with his hands before standing up and walking toward the blue-haired girl. "Whatever," He mumbled, ruffling her hair before climbing down the ladder.

In the end, Aomine chose a pink and yellow yukata for the festival. Emiko felt out of place without her usual black and blue-coloured outfits. Aomine kept insisting that she looked cute, which only resulted in her turning the shade of her outfit as well as attempting to hit him. The two of them strolled through the festival grounds, searching for Aomine's teammates. A stand of sweets caught Emiko's eye on the way, causing her to turn right from Aomine and sprint to the stand.

"Oi, Emi! Where are you…" She heard in the background as she raced to the stand, her eyes set on the dumplings on display. She bought two sticks of them, happily chewing on one while she made her way back to a slightly annoyed Aomine.

"I bought you one, too." She smiled. His eyebrow twitched before he grabbed the dumpling stick from her, bringing his other hand down to grab Emiko's. Her face turned red in confusion as she looked at him with wide eyes.

"Thanks. The crowd's kinda big. I don't want you to get lost." He said, nodding to their hands.

They walked along the path until they reached an opening overlooking a small river. Aomine turned his head to Emiko and opened his mouth to say something, but was beaten by a voice coming from behind them.

"See, I told you they'd be here, Momoicchi!" The tall blond walked over with their pink-haired friend, wiggling his eyebrows at Emiko and Aomine's intertwined hands. "Although, it looks like we might be interrupting something…" Emiko immediately whipped her hand to her side with a red face.

"Dai-chan! Emi-chan! I've been looking for you everywhere! The team's over by the field behind the shops!"

"O-okay…" Emiko mumbled, walking toward the duo.

"Emikocchi, what a pretty outfit you're wearing! Did you buy that yourself?" Kise asked, playing with a few tendrils of Emiko's hair. Emiko gave him a slight glare, as if she knew what he was trying to hint at.

"Dai-chan, c'mon!" Satsuki ran over to the tanned giant and began pushing him in the direction of the team.

"So, Emikocchi. Why, exactly, were you and Aominecchi holding hands?" Kise asked quietly.

"He was just worried about losing me in the crowd, Ryo-chan. It would be no different if you and I were holding hands." Emiko was trying to play it cool, but Kise had more up his sleeve.

"Is that an invitation?" The blond grinned, brushing his hand against hers. Emiko made no reaction, causing Kise to push her more by grabbing her hand. She refused to look at him and stared forward with a blank face.

Emiko heard Aomine mumble something incomprehensible to Momoi from behind.

"Oh, shut up, you drama queen!" Emiko heard Momoi say, "They're just friends, you jealous ball of rage."

"Dai-chan's getting angry over this…" Emiko mumbled.

"So it seems…" Kise replied with a slight smile.

"See, I told you Aomine-kun and Kuroko-san weren't together! She's holding hands with some other guy!" Emiko looked ahead to the owner of the voice, Wakamatsu.

"B-but look at how angry Aomine-kun is about it…How scary." Sakurai replied to his teammate. Emiko turned her head to catch a glimpse of a furious Aomine. He immediately stopped glaring and looked away when he noticed her gaze, however.

"Alright! Now that we're all here, I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone for an awesome year so far!" Momoi shouted over the noisy crowd. The team began clapping. "And I know that the rest of the year is going to go smoothly as well! Have a good time, everyone!"

"What are you doing here anyway, Ryo-chan?" Emiko asked the blond beside her.

"I heard Emikocchi was going to be dressed up, so I came to see. You're just as cute as I pictured you!" He grinned, pulling her to his side.

"Wait, where'd you hear that from?"

"Hey, Emi. Satsuki and I are going to see the fireworks. Are you coming?" Aomine asked, with a slight frown on his face.

She looked at Kise, who gave her a knowing nod. "Y-yeah, sure!" She said, running to catch up with them. She waved to Kise before turning around and walking beside Aomine.

Emiko flinched when the first firework went off, clutching onto Aomine's hand almost immediately. It was then that he remembered her fear of loud noises. He remembered a few instances back in Teiko where Tetsuya had to calm her down during thunderstorms that went on during some of their basketball practices. He looked at her widened eyes. She only noticed moments later that she was gripping onto his hand, immediately letting go with a dark blush on her face.

The second light went off, causing her to jump and let out a squeak. Aomine wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her toward him. Her arm shot up to clutch onto the back of his shirt. She gave him an apologetic glance before staring at the fireworks with curiosity.

"Wow, that one was really pretty!" Momoi exclaimed, clapping her hands with delight. Emiko smiled at her pink-haired friend. She was always happy, no matter what. Emiko always wanted to be like that. Through the explosions of pinks, yellows, blues, and reds, Momoi's smile never wavered. Emiko had managed to flinch every time the fireworks made a noise, but Aomine was always there to calm her down.

"You look cute tonight." The blue-eyed girl heard the giant mumble into her hair.

"Th-thanks…" She replied shakily, still flinching at each 'pop' from the fireworks.

"Why're you so nervous? You're with your friends, Emi. Stop being so shy."

"Y-you said you wanted to kiss me…I just…it feels weird now." Emiko said, scratching the side of her face in thought. "Plus, you haven't looked me straight in the eyes the whole night. Why're _you _so nervous?"

Aomine frowned, turning his head away from the girl. "I'm not." The last firework went off, squealing in the air as Momoi cheered and clapped along with the crowd.

"Whatever…" Emiko mumbled, letting go of his shirt.

* * *

Special thanks to Trickster707, B.B.K, ConfusionRunsRampant, Meister-Amy, KnightingaleProduction, xxthornxx011, livelovehatedie, and the three anons who commented! I appreciate it a lot!

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See you soon!


	11. Chapter 11

The moon was at its peak, and Aomine and Emiko had just dropped Momoi off at her house. The duo was walking home when they spotted a group of dangerous-looking men in the distance.

"Get on the other side of me," Aomine said, a frown making its way onto his face. "Pretend you're my girlfriend."

Emiko gave him a muddled look, "What?"

"Just do it. They'll start harassing you if they think we're just friends. Plus, you look too cute in your outfit for your own good."

She didn't understand how any of that made sense, but she didn't question him. "Fine." She grabbed his already outstretched hand and walked alongside him with pink cheeks.

The scary-looking men whispered to each other while looking at Emiko, but made no loud comments due to Aomine's dangerous demeanor. They walked past with no problem, but Emiko remained holding Aomine's hand until the men were out of sight.

"Thank you for protecting me from those guys, Dai-chan." Emiko smiled at the giant as she walked ahead and spun around. "Oh – and from the fireworks!" She giggled.

"What's up with you?" Aomine grumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "You're a lot more lively than usual."

"Today's just been a good day. I'm glad I got to spend it with…" She turned to her apartment building, spotting a familiar redhead sitting on its steps. "Kagami-kun?"

"'Kagami-kun'?" Aomine followed her gaze, frowning when he saw who she was staring at. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

"Waiting for Emiko-san." The obviously tired redhead muttered, crossing his arms and resting them on his knees. "I tried texting you. I wanted to see if you wanted to go to the summer festival with me, but it seems you've gone…" Kagami turned to Aomine, "with someone else."

"My phone must have died…" Emiko said, digging into her small purse for her phone. She tried unlocking it, but there was only a blank screen. "How long have you been waiting here?"

"Three hours."

"Three hours?" Aomine yelled, his fists clenching. "What are you, some kind of stalker?"

"Dai-chan!" Emiko shouted at the navy-haired male with annoyance in her voice. She turned back to the redhead. "Kagami-kun, thank you for worrying about me, but I'm fine. Dai-chan's almost always with me, so there's no need to be concerned for me."

Kagami stood up, frowning. "What's your relationship with him, anyway? He bought that outfit for you, didn't he? I remember you said on our first date that you didn't have any traditional clothing. Do you like him or something?"

"I…"

"So what if she does? Either way, it's none of your business, idiot."

"_Aomine!_" The tanned teen froze at his last name. Emiko turned to face Kagami once more, sighing in the process. "Kagami-kun, I'm sorry, but I'm just not interested anymore. I'm sorry for worrying you and I'm sorry about my rude friend, but I think you should head home now."

The redhead sighed in defeat, slowly walking toward Emiko and stopping once he was in front of her. "You look pretty tonight."

"Are you seri-" Emiko elbowed Aomine hard in the stomach before he could finish his sentence.

"Thank you." She gave Kagami a soft smile before giving him a small hug and waving goodbye. She waited until he was out of sight before walking to the building's front door. She was about to open it before Aomine's voice sounded from behind her.

"Aren't you gonna say goodnight?"

Emiko paused, her hand clutching the doorknob tightly. "Go home, Aomine-kun."

"Don't call me that. What's wrong? Did that unskilled Bakagami upset you that much?"

"I'm…not upset because of him…"

"Then who-"

"This is _your_ fault."

"What?" Aomine frowned, walking toward the small girl.

"If you had just _listened_ and gone to the festival without trying to make a deal, Kagami-kun wouldn't have waited and gotten mad and the team wouldn't be gossiping about you and me…"

"What is your deal with that? Why do you care so much about what other people think?"

"Just go home, Aomine-kun." Her eyes were beginning to look glossy, causing Aomine's frown to deepen even more.

"No! Tell me why!"

"Now's not the time." She almost whispered, turning the knob and opening the door.

"Hey, Emi-" He was finally noticing the shakiness in her voice.

"Go home." She shut the door behind her quickly before Aomine could reply. She could hear a slight _thud_ sound from the other side of the door, which made her assume he was leaning his head on it. Emiko slid down the door before sitting on the ground, resting her head on her knees while silent tears fell down her cheeks.

Why did it have to be like this? Why did everyone have to be like this? Why did Kise have to hold her hand and make Aomine jealous? Why did the basketball team have to discuss Emiko's love life? Why did Aomine have to hold her hand multiple times throughout the evening? Why did Kagami have to be so…

So…

…Maybe it was her fault. She shouldn't have told Sakurai that she would ask Aomine about going to the festival, knowing that he hated that sort of stuff. She shouldn't have told Aomine to buy the yukata, knowing that it was a boyfriend-type gesture. She shouldn't have let him hold her hand. She shouldn't have gone to the festival at all. It would have made things easier. Yes, it really _was_ all her fault.

Emiko stood up, turning the knob of the door slowly. She opened it without looking, "Look, Dai-chan, I'm so-" but there was no one there. She gazed into the darkness, trying to find any hint of Aomine walking, but he was nowhere to be found. Emiko sighed, closing the door and trudging through her apartment to get ready for bed.

* * *

Sorry it's so short! I just felt like this was the best place to end the chapter!

Special thanks to xxthornxx001, B.B.K, and two guests for the commments! They're very much appreciated! :))))

Rate/Comment/Fav/Review! Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

_"__Oh, c'mon, Emiko-chan! Just ask him out! I'm sure he'll say yes!"_

_"__M-Momoi-san, I don't think now's the right time. I'll just wait until their practice ends." _

_The middle school girls stood in the corner of Teiko's gym, watching as the basketball team practiced._

_"__You've been saying that for the past few weeks! Just ask Ki-chan out already! You've got nothing to lose!" A whistle blew, signalling the end of practice. Momoi began pushing the blue-haired girl to their blond friend, much to Emiko's disagreement. "Oh, Ki-chaaan! Emiko-chan has something to say to you!"_

_"__M-Momoi-san, please!" The shy girl complained as Momoi escape the room just before Kise reched Emiko._

_"__Ah, Emikocchi! You're looking cute as ever! What's up?" The blond grinned as he held a basketball to his hip._

_"__I-I…Umm…Do you want to go get some popsicles after you're done changing?"_

_"__Yeah, sure! You sure know the way to a guy's heart, Emikocchi!" He wrapped an arm around Emiko's shoulders, causing her face to turn red. "Aww, you're so cute when you blush! I'll be right back!" He ran off to the change room, leaving a dazed Emiko._

_"__Testuya's sister." Emiko turned around to face the team's captain, a red-headed boy a little taller than Tetsuya. Emiko always tried to stay away from him, for he had an aura around him that made and social contact with him seem like a bad idea. "May I have a word?"_

_"__O-of course, Akashi-kun." She padded after him as he walked to one of the school's empty hallways. The redhead stopped as soon as the doors to the gym closed. Emiko stood attentively behind him._

_"__I understand you've taken an interest in one of the members of our team." Emiko nodded to him, although he couldn't see. "I asked to talk to you because I will not stand for it."_

_Emiko paused, eyes widening. "Sorry?"_

_"__I will not let my teammates be distracted by a pathetic, desperate girl. If I see you try to date any of the school's players, whether it is in the present or the future, I will see that you have a horrible punishment. Do I make myself clear?"_

_"__Wha…Akashi-kun-" The redhead spun around, throwing a fist right beside her head and punching the wall behind her. Emiko fell to the ground, shaking of fright._

"Do I make myself clear?"

_Emiko nodded forcefully._

_"__Good. This expectation will carry on through high school as well. I will not accept any distractions from them honing their skills." He put a finger to his lips, signalling that the agreement was to be kept a secret. The captain of the team left shortly after, leaving a shaken Emiko to collect her thoughts. The door opened shortly after, revealing Kise and her brother._

_"__There you are! Are you ready to go get some popsicles?" The blond asked in a cheery voice, offering his hand to help pull her up._

_"__Are you alright?" Tetsuya asked, sensing something wrong._

_Emiko closed her eyes and shook her head. "I-I just realized that I have a test tomorrow that I didn't study for. I'm sorry, Ryo-chan. We'll have to go some other time."_

_"__Aw, man! I was looking forward to it! Oh, well. See you tomorrow, Emikocchi!"_

_The Kuroko twins waved at Kise as he left the building, the two walking home shortly after._

Emiko woke up to her alarm clock ringing in her ears. She got up and began to get ready for school, making herself breakfast and preparing her lunch for that day.

"Your tests from last week reflect your overall mark of this class. Most of you have done wonderful, and to that, I thank you." The greying man at the front of the classroom turned his gaze to the navy-haired giant in the back row, "Some of you, however…" He placed an inked sheet of paper on Aomine's desk, "Have not been too impressive."

"Hah? C-? That ain't fair!"

"Well, Aomine-san, that's what happens when you attend class two days a week." The teacher turned to his left and handed a marked test to Emiko, "Good job, Kuroko-san."

"Thank you, sensei." She muttered, embarrassed at the rest of the class speculating her mark. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aomine leaning over to look at her test score. Emiko immediately clutched the paper to her chest, earning her a glare from Aomine. It wasn't one of his normal playful glares, it was the kind that he gave to people he didn't like. That caused Emiko to look away with a sad frown.

Aomine saw the girl's mood drop instantly, wondering if it was his fault. After the night of the summer festival, they stopped talking. A week later, nothing changed. "Oi, Emi-" Aomine's whisper was interrupted by the teacher.

"_Aomine-san._ I suggest you pay attention and/ or find a tutor. Otherwise, you can say goodbye to your basketball team."

"Oh, sensei, do you honestly think I'm going to pay attention?" The teenager smirked at his elder, causing the old man to huff out a breath of air.

"Fine. Does anyone in this class wish to volunteer to tutor Aomine-san?"

The two looked around the classroom, waiting for a hand to fly up or a voice to sound, but everything remained silent. Aomine's smirk began to fade as time went by. He kicked the chair in front of him, causing Sakurai to jump and turn his head.

"S-s-sorry, Aomine-kun, b-but I'm too busy studying to help you…"

Aomine glared at the boy before leaning back and crossing his arms.

"It looks like you'll have to fix your grades on your own, Aomine-san." A smirk could be found under the teacher's mustache as he walked back to his desk.

"I'll do it." Aomine turned his head to Emiko, who had been silent throughout the entire day until now. The teacher looked at her with a stone-cold face.

"Are you sure you want to accept this responsibility, Kuroko-san?"

Emiko's gaze flickered over to Aomine for half a second before returning to the teacher. She sighed, "Yes, sensei."

"Then it's settled. Aomine-san, you will be tutored by Kuroko-san, no arguments. You will arrive on time and do exactly as she tells you, or else you will not pass this class. Do you understand?"

Aomine stared at Emiko, causing her to sigh unhappily and look out the window. "Yeah."

* * *

"You're going to have to memorize this formula for sure. It's called the quadratic formula. It's x = -b plus or minus the square root of b squared minus 4ac, all divided by 2a. Aomine, are you even listening?"

"This is the first time you've talked to me since the summer festival."

Emiko's eyes widened. She looked away almost immediately after. "I've been talking to you for half an hour and you decide to point this out _now_?"

"You're a lot bitchier than I remember."

Emiko glared at him. "You're a lot more difficult than I remember."

"Really? I find that hard to believe since the last time you saw me, you blamed everything bad that happened to you on me."

Emiko looked up at the tanned male, who had his elbow on the table, propping up his head boredly. "L-look, Aomine-"

"Don't call me that."

"D-Dai-chan…I'm sorry about everything. I was all my fault. I shouldn't have blamed you or anybody else for how that evening turned out, especially since I was responsible for my own actions. I-"

"Don't worry about it."

Emiko paused, staring at Aomine. "Huh?"

He looked out the window. "I said don't worry about it. It's fine."

"O-oh. Um, okay. Let's get back to math, then. Try solving this problem." She pushed the sheet over to him for him to write on. Unfortunately, he had other plans. He grabbed her wrists so she was stuck sitting there in surprise. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Why won't you admit that you like me?" Aomine mumbled, leaning over to look her in the eyes. Her cheeks grew red as she struggled to get him to release her hands.

"Aomine, let go!"

"Not until you tell me why."

"I can't!" She yelled, causing the librarian to peak her head around a bookshelf to glare at them.

"Why not?" He mumbled.

"Please let go…"

"Emi."

"I'm not allowed to tell you!"

Aomine's eyes widened, his hands loosening on her wrists just enough for her to pull them out of his grip. The girl stood up furiously, throwing her bag over her shoulder and shoving her textbooks inside.

"Emi…?"

"Stop asking me. I wouldn't be able to tell you even if I wanted to." She mumbled as she continued to pack up her schoolbag.

"Hey. What're you talking about?" His frown deepened when he saw the fear in Emiko's eyes.

"H-he…He threatened me…"

"What? Who threatened you?"

Emiko opened her mouth to reply, but shut it immediately when she saw someone staring through the library window from the outside. His heterochromatic eyes stared directly at Emiko, causing goosebumps to erupt all over her skin. His face held no expression; he just stared knowingly.

"Emi! Who threatened you? I'll kick their ass, I swear-"

"No one!" She faked a giggle, lightly tapping herself on her head. "I was just joking! I have to go!"

"Wait, Emi!" Before she fled, he swore he saw her give him a look of severe worry. He didn't know who was making her feel so scared, but he was sure he was going to make them pay.

* * *

Hey! thanks for reading! :)

Special thanks goes out to B.B.K, Knightingale Production, xxthorn011xx, Kuromeido, and a few guests for the comments! I really appreciate them! :D

Comment/rate/favourite/review!

See ya!


	13. Chapter 13

"Hustle, boys! Hustle!"

Emiko stood beside her pink-haired friend as they observed Touou's basketball team run around the court in an organized frenzy. Momoi had a pen in her hand, writing down things they needed to work on as she observed the boys practice.

"Hey, Emi-chan." Emiko turned her head to Momoi, giving the girl her full attention. "Do you think you could go find Dai-chan and bring him back here? I haven't updated his profile in a while although I doubt it will be much different. Nevertheless, it wouldn't hurt to see."

Emiko's eyes widened before she turned away. "Sorry, Satsuki-chan, but I don't think I can do that…"

"Oh, that's right! You two haven't been talking, have you?"

Emiko shook her head in response.

"What's been going on between you two? A week and a half ago, the two of you were holding hands at the summer festival, and now you avoid Dai-chan at all costs!" Emiko made no reply, looking down at her feet. "Well, if you're not gonna talk to him, I'm gonna have to conjure up a plan to _make_ you two talk. I'm not gonna let our trio be ruined by Dai-chan's stupidity, that's for sure!" The pink-haired girl cackled as she took off to find Aomine, leaving Emiko to watch the practice.

A whistle blew, signalling the stop of their training for a bit. The boys retired to the bench to drink some water.

"Alright boys. Practice might end early today due to the storm heading in our direction this evening. Call your parents and let them know." The coach had his hands on his hip as he talked to the team

"A storm?" Emiko whispered, just loud enough to catch the attention of her least favourite player, Imayoshi.

"That's right. A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect for most of Tokyo. Let's all try our best to protect our Emiko-chan!" The bespectacled boy grinned at Emiko maliciously.

"Protect Kuroko-san? Sorry, what do you mean by that?" Sakurai asked.

"You do, as I understand, have a fear of thunderstorms, am I right, Emiko-chan?" His smirk grew wider as Emiko's frown grew deeper.

"Loud noises."

"Huh?" Wakamatsu turned to Emiko in confusion.

"It's loud noises that I don't like, not just thunderstorms…"

"Loud noises, huh?" Imayoshi's smile faded for a moment before returning even bigger. "Like this?" He clapped his hands once right beside Emiko's ear, causing her to flinch. Her eyes began to water.

"P-please don't do that." She mumbled, her eyes threatening to tear up.

"Oi! Stop messing with Emi, you glasses-wearing monkey."

Emiko looked up to see both Aomine and Momoi in the gym doorway. The dark teen's expression was as serious as it was deadly.

"Oh, Aomine-kun! I was just fooling around, you see." Imayoshi smirked as he walked to the bench to put his water bottle down.

"Fooling around, my ass. Emi, you okay?" The navy-haired teen began walking toward the bench with his hands in his pockets, Momoi following suit. The short girl nodded, refusing to make eye contact with Aomine.

"Alright, boys! Back to work!" The coach picked up a stack of pylons, placing them throughout the court for a drill. The team stood up grudgingly and lined up at their assigned spots.

"Dai-chan told me about the other day." Momoi said as she observed the team. Emiko looked at her, worried. "He said something about someone threatening you." Momoi turned to Emiko and lowered her voice. "This is about that time in middle school, isn't it? When Akashi-kun took you into the hall and you came out almost crying. What did he say to you, Emi-chan?"

Emiko sighed. "I…"

A crack of thunder sounded. Emiko jumped, Momoi quickly grabbing her hand. "It's okay, Emi-chan. It's just a little thunder." She gave her a reassuring smiled. Emiko smiled back, turning her head to meet gazes with Aomine. He had a frown on his face as he stared intensely at Emiko. She immediately looked away.

"Alright, guys! Let's call it a day. I don't want you all to get caught in the storm." The coach instructed them to put their basketballs away before changing.

"Hey, Emi-chan. Can you put the basketball bin in the storage room, please?"

"Yeah, sure." Emiko wandered over to the large bin after the last basketball was put in. She wheeled the bin over to the storage room, driving it into the corner of the room before sighing. She looked out the storage room's window. The sky was a dark grey, giving off a dangerous aura. She frowned.

"Dai-chan! Go check and see if Emi-chan's placed the bin where it's supposed to be!"

"Hah, why? She's perfectly capable of doing it herself."

"Just do it!"

"Oi! Satsuki!" Emiko turned to see the pink-haired girl pushing Aomine into the room angrily. She frowned at the mischievous glint in Momoi's eye.

"Well, now that you two are in here…" She grabbed the door stopper from its original place, causing the metal door to slam shut, leaving the two in silence.

"S-Satsuki-chan!"

"I'm not opening this door until you two make up!" The girl shouted from behind the door, "I'm sick of you giving each other stupid looks and not talking to one another! We're a trio, remember?"

Aomine began slamming his fists into the door. "Oi, Satsuki! Let us out! I'm hungry!" No reply. "Satsuki! Open the door!"

"It's no use. I think she left."

Aomine sighed, turning to the blue-haired girl. "Why've you been avoiding me, anyway?"

Emiko frowned. "Why do you think? You won't stop asking me why I won't confess! I can't tell you, it's as simple as that!"

"Emi, just tell me who was threatening you and I'll kick his ass. Problem solved."

"That's not how the world works, Aomine!"

"Don't call me that!"

"You can't just rely on brute force to get what you want! You need to understand emotions, too! And not just your own! You need to understand…"

"What? _Your_ emotions?" Aomine glared at her. He took three strides toward her, pressing up against her as he finished his stroll across the room. "Let me understand…" The dark-skinned boy craned his neck down, pressing his forehead against Emiko's. Her cheeks heated up at their intimacy. She tried to look away, but he grabbed her chin, forcing her to retain eye contact. He opened his mouth to speak, but was beaten by a loud crack of thunder. Emiko let out a yelp, falling over the basketball bin and landing on the floor.

"Hey, Emi, are you alright?"

"I-I…" She began standing herself up before another crack sounded, causing her to collapse again, looking down at the ground.

Aomine walked over, crouching down and reaching his arm out to help her up. She hesitated before taking his hand, standing up with him. A third boom sounded, causing Emiko to flinch and lose her balance, falling into Aomine.

"S-sorry…" She mumbled. A strike of lightning lit up the room, revealing a small blush on Aomine's face. That, in turn, caused Emiko to blush as well. A crack soon followed the lightning, causing them both to lose their balance this time. The two fell to the floor, Emiko landing on top of the tanned giant.

Aomine stared at Emiko while she tried to retain her cool. Her lips were slightly parted, her eyes were wide, and her hands were grasping onto Aomine's shoulders as she unknowingly straddled him. He shot her a smile, resulting in her cheeks growing darker.

"Hey, Emi…you're really…"

_BOOM_

Before Aomine could blink, the girl had buried her head into his chest, furiously shutting her eyes and clutching to his shirt for her dear life.

"S-s-sorry…" She whispered. He could feel her shaking. He propped himself up and shimmied over to lean against a cardboard box while he sat. Emiko was still clinging onto his shirt for dear life, so he softly brought one of his arms down to caress her back.

"It was because of a shooting, wasn't it?" Emiko paused for a moment, looking up at him with wide, watery eyes. "I remember Tetsu telling me about your fear of loud noises once. It was because you witnessed a shooting, right?" The girl nodded her head before resting her head on his chest.

"I was with my mom when we heard a painfully loud noise. The next thing I knew, the man walking in front of us was lying on the ground bleeding." She was almost inaudible with how quiet her voice was.

"Hey, Emi…It's in the past. No one's gonna get hurt here." He placed a hand on her head. She looked up at him with large, sad eyes. Aomine could feel his face heating up. This time, it was her who was bringing her face closer to his. Their foreheads touched, then their noses. Aomine could almost taste her, when a rumble sounded from the sky, causing Emiko to jump and cower into his chest once more. He sighed.

"I-I'm sorry. It's just…"

"Why do you apologize so much?"

"S-sorry."

"Emi. Stop." He rolled his eyes as she lifted her head slightly.

"Sor-" Emiko was cut off by a pair of dark lips landing on hers. They were warm and fit her own mouth perfectly. Her eyes fluttered closed for a short second before she realized what was happening. She wanted to kiss him back. She wanted to so bad, but all she could picture was Akashi's red and yellow eyes staring at her, seeing to her very soul. She brought her arms up and pushed Aomine away lightly, looking down when he began to stare at her. "I-I can't…"

"Emi, there's no one here. Whoever's been threatening you has no way of knowing about this."

"He'll know. He knows everything." She whispered.

"Who is he?" Aomine placed his hand on Emiko's shoulders, causing her to look up. She immediately looked elsewhere, avoiding his gaze with a red face. "Emiko. Just tell me."

The blue-haired girl sighed. She opened her mouth to say his name, but barely anything came out. "A…A…"

"Who?" Aomine gave her a disgruntled look.

"A…Aka…"

"Aka…Akashi?" Aomine suggested, removing his hands. Emiko gulped before nodding. "Why would he…"

"H-He said I shouldn't interfere with any member of the Generation of Miracles. He wants you all to be at the top of your game when he faces you."

"That's stupid. It's not like you'd be distracting me. I never go to practice anyway."

"I didn't make the decision." Emiko stated, crossing her arms. She sighed a few moments later. "Dai-chan, I… I really like you. I like going out with you and I like it when we hold hands, but…"

Aomine stared at the girl in awe. She had finally admitted it. "But…?"

"….But he's scary. I don't want you getting hurt over my feelings for you."

"Emi, he's not here. He won't see. Let's just see what happens." His hand came up to caress her cheek, causing her face to heat up. Emiko gave a quick nod. They brought their faces closer to each other once more, cheeks growing red at their proximity. Emiko's eyes closed as their lips connected, moving to each other's rhythm. Her hands slowly slid up Aomine's chest, resting on his shoulders as they continued to kiss.

The tanned teen slowly pulled away after short while, resting his forehead on Emiko's.

"How was that?" He asked. Emiko nodded her head and smiled in response, pecking him on the cheek.

Suddenly there was a knocking that came from the door, followed by the high-pitched voice of their pink-haired friend.

"Have you guys made up yet? It's getting dark!"

The two teens looked out the small window of the room to see a navy sky. Aomine stood up, bringing the girl up with him. "Yeah," he called to Momoi.

"Good!" There was some rustling with the door handle before it was opened to reveal the pink-haired girl in all her glory. She smiled, "I was getting hungry."

* * *

Woo! What a long chapter! Sorry for the wait, but I figured I'd put out something with a better quality to it that I've spent a week on than just some filler chapter, especially since the next chapter might not be for a while with exams coming up.

Thanks for reading!

Special thanks to xxthornxx011, Kuromeido, ahsoei, and a guest for the reviews! They mean a hella lot! :D

Rate/Review/Comment/Favourite! :))

See ya next time!


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